Hollywood Park Re-Accredited by Safety Alliance

Betfair Hollywood Park, which will cease live racing at the end of this year, has earned re-accreditation from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's (NTRA) Safety and Integrity Alliance.

The re-accreditation followed a complete review of all racing operations at the Inglewood, Calif., facility that received its initial alliance accreditation in June 2009.

During the latest alliance inspection of Betfair Hollywood Park, best practices were identified in virtually every primary area of focus of the alliance, according to an NTRA release. In the area of injury reporting and prevention, best practices identified included participation in the Equine Injury Database; pre-race and post-race veterinary examination protocols of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) regulatory and track veterinarians; the California Post Mortem Program; and veterinarians' list protocols of the CHRB.

In areas intended to create a safer racing environment, best practices cited at Hollywood included toe grab, cushion crop, and safety helmet regulation and enforcement; starting gate padding and protocols for its manning and removal; equine ambulance equipment and protocols; rider medical care and ambulance support; protocols in case of catastrophic injury; fire safety preparedness; infectious disease management and prevention protocols; and ensuring practicing veterinarians are on the grounds when horses are present.

In the area of equine drug testing and penalties, best practices identified included TC02 regulation and testing procedures; the CHRB out of competition testing program; and accreditation of the University of California, Davis, testing lab.

Relating to safety research, best practices were cited for Hollywood's participation in a number of research programs geared toward the betterment of racing.

According to the release, Hollywood also was cited for best practices in areas focused on fundraising for retired racehorses and disabled riders, its affiliation with a substance abuse program for individuals and its wagering security programs geared toward incident prevention and investigation.

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